ferguson



(No Model.) 3 Sheets Sheet 1;

. H. FERGUSON. V

APPARATUS FOR BVAPQRATING ANITGONDENSING WATER.

Patented 0012.28, 1890.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

.H. FERGUSON.

Witrwsar.

Patented Oct. 2 8. 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY FERGUSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING AND CONDENSING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,132, dated October 28, 1890. Application filed December 3, 1889. Serial No. 332,404- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FERGUSON, of London, England, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented an Improved Evaporating and Condensing Apparatus for Producing Fresh Water from Sea- Water for Drinking Purposes and for Boiler- Feed, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the evaporation and condensation of fresh water from sea-water or other liquid for drinking purposes or for boiler'feed, and is designed to elfect the same by means of especially simple and convenient apparatus and in an economical manner;

By a well-known law water under a vacuum enables the evaporation to be effected at a comparatively low temperature, and this law I take advantage of in carrying out the evaporation of sea-water under a vacuum by means of steam, utilizing the preheated condensing water for evaporation. The vacuum under which the steam is evaporated is produced by orator and condenser by allowing the steam to blow through them or by the exhaustive action of the condensed-water pump, and then upon allowing the cooling water to circulate in the condenser the steam coming from the evaporatoris condensed and apartial vacuum is consequently produced, the water resulting from such condensation being withdrawn from the condenser continuously by the condensedwater pump.

As all marine boilers from which the steam is condensed in surface-condensers after use lose some portion of the said steam by leakage or other causes while in operation, it is most important to supply this constant loss of feed-Water from some fresh-water source, otherwise the objects for which such an expensive apparatus as a surfacecondenser and its accessories are used would be defeated, as any addition of sea-water to make up for the loss of fresh water seriously deteriorates from the efficiency and safety of the boiler, particularly in the case of high-pressure or multitubular boilers used with forced draft, such as those employed in torpedo-boats. My apparatus, then, in addition to being suitable for the production of fresh water for the supply of that water lost by leaks from the boiler first expelling the air from the evapand in other ways, is also particularly applicable for the production of a supply of filtered aerated drinking water.

I am aware that apparatuses have been known for some time past for'the evaporation of salt-water and its condensation into fresh water; but the particular objects of my invention are to afford means whereby the use of high-pressure steam for evaporating the seawater in the evaporator can be employed by which a high duty may be obtained from an apparatus of small weight and occupying little space, particular regard being had to special arrangements for the easy and rapid circulation of the saltwaterin the evaporator, and also the production of saturated steam from the same, in order that the resulting water from the condensation of the steam may be practically pure and fresh, for should the steam be saturated to any extent with the salt-water it would be carried over into the condenser, and the water, which should have been fresh, would have a brackish taste.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters marked thereon.

Like letters refer to like the figures.

Figure l is a part sectional elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a part sectional plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the aerating and filter pump through the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of my evaporator on the line X X. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 6 is a section on the lineYY. Fig. 7 isa section on the lineZ Z.

In order to carry my invention into effect I preferably arrange the evaporator A within the center of the condenser B, which is an annular chamber, the intervening space between the two chambers being packed with a non-conducting material, such as asbestus packing or other similar material. The evaporator A has a diaphragm an arranged at the top and another a at the bottom, which form the tube-plates, and between these tube-plates the tubes 0 are supported. Upon each side of the chamber (Z is a passage or passages E E, which form a connection between the upper and lower chambers of the evaporator, so

parts throughout that the heated water as it rises up the tubes 0 can return by the passages E E, whereby a complete system of flow and return is set up. The steam for evaporating purposes is admitted through the pipe f andthe hollow door F, entering the chamber cl through the orifice f, surrounding the tubes 0 C and communicating its heat thereto. The condensed water resulting from such steam as it parts with its heat is withdrawn by the pipe g through the door G.

Upon the upper part of the evaporator A, I arrange a still-head I-I, having a neck at the lower end of such a size as will embrace the whole space covered by the tubes 0 O and passages E. The upper part of the still-head is of larger diameter, and has suspended from the top cover J a circular baffle-plate j, extending downward till it nearly reaches the neck. This baffle-plate has a vertical slot j extending from the cover J to nearly the bottom of the plate, and on each side of the slot within the annular space around the outside of the baffie-plate another baffle-plate K K is arranged, reaching from the cover J, near the top of the slot j and lying in an angular position a certain distance round the annular space, the lower partof the plates K K extending rather more than half-way down the baffle-plate j.

The exit-pipe L to the condenser is taken out of the still-head H at a point on the opposite side of the head as that on which the slot j is situated, and has its connection with the still-head so arranged that the greatest volume of steam is taken from the upper part of the still-head, so that it shall be as dry as possible.

The condenser E is, as hereinbefore described, an annular chamber placed around the evaporator A, and has the tube-plates b b on the upper and lower ends of the chamber supporting the tubes 0 of dome-section, which form the circulating-chambers above and below the tubes 0. The steam is conveyed to the condenser from the evaporator by the pipe e entering the condenser at e, where it condenses between the tubes 0, and is drawn through the pipe (1' by the fresh-water pump D from the bottom of the condenser, where it collects. The circulating water is forced by the circulating-p11 mp P through the tubes in the condenser, entering at h and leaving at h. The brine which collects at the lower part of the evaporator is drawn away by the pump g through the pipe g to the delivery-pipe 9 The feed-water forthe evaporator is regulated and kept at a constant height by a self-acting valve m, arranged within a chamber M. This valve is of the ordinary double-beat type, and has arranged a certain distance up the valve-spindle a float of any suitable material, such as copper.

he feed-pipe R, which is led from the circulating delivery-pipe B so that the feed-water may be as hot as possible, enters the chamber M at the side, so that it is in communication with the regulating-valvem. Apipe Zis led from the bottom of the chamber M to the bottom of the evaporator, and a similar pipe Z is led from the top of the chamber M to the pipe 6, so that the bodies of water in the chamber M and the evaporator are in equilibrium, and it follows that if the feed-valve chamber is in a proper position relatively to the evaporator a constant level will be maintained in the latter by the automatic regulation of the supply by the valve m being governed by the level of the water in the chamber M.

In conjunction with this apparatus I use a steam-pump N of a very compact and ingenious construction in which the five pumps for various purposes-viz, circulating-pump P, fresh-water pump D, aerating-pump D, brine-pump g, and feed-pump for boiler 9 are driven direct from one steam-cylinder 0 through the medium of a cross-head O, situated directly opposite to the steam-cylinder O The circulating-pump P consists of two cylinders'p p, situated side by side and connected together by the passage on. The suction-pipe enters the cylinder 1; at n, and the delivery-pipe is connected to the cylinder 12' at n. Upon the top of the circulating-pump the fresh-water pump D is arranged. Thepiston on the plunger of this pump is utilized for drawing the fresh water from the condenser and forcing it through the filter Q, the annular space 7' round the pump-rod at the back of the piston being used as an aerating-pump, the suction-valve 7* being in communication with the atmosphere and the delivery-valve r with the freshwater-delivery pipe (1 The brine-pump g and condensed steam or boiler feed-pump g are arranged one on each side of the steam-cylinder O and are likewise operated by the cross-head O.

In order to cool and filter the water as it is pumped from the condenser, I pass the same through a cooling-filter vessel Q, Figs. 1 and 2, into which the water to be filtered is introduced by the pipe (1 A perforated plate q is placed over the tubes to distribute the flow of water. The upper part of the filter is divided by a diaphragm and a transverse rib into two parts, into one of which fresh water is delivered from the condenser by the pump D. It then passes through a series of tubes 0 to the lower part of the filter, and ascends again through similar tubes 0 to the outlet S.

The water from the circulating-pump enters the pipe R surrounds the whole of the said tubes, (thus further cooling the fresh water,) and issues from the outlet R and passes thence to the condenser. The tubes 0 c are filled with charcoal or other approved filtering medium to filter the water as it passes through the said tubes. The resulting product is thus cooled and filtered and excellent to drink.

The action of the sea-water in the evaporator is as follows, viz As the water is heated in the tubes, it rises and displaces the cooler water, which returns by the passages E, so that a constant circulation is kept up. As the steam is given 01f, it rushes through the slot j into the annular space in the still-head H and impinges upon the inclined bafiileplates K K, giving the steam a downward direction, so that any water that may be carried up by the steam will be thrown down to the bottom of the annular space, afterward draining back into the evaporator through the space is between the bottom of the baffleplate and the neck of the still-head, and also the water that may be left in the steam traveling round the annular space is thrown by centrifugal force to the outer side, the steam rising to the top of the annular space, and escaping to the condenser by the pipe e, which projects inward at L. I may convert the evaporator into av condenser and work both chambers as condensers.

I arrange the cocks e e s, and s and pipes 25 and s on the live steam and circulat ing services, so that by opening the cooks E, S, and S and closing cock E the circulating water will pass through theevaporator, enterin g at t and discharging through the cock 3 into the main circulating-pipe R, live steam being admitted to the condenserB through the pipe f. 7

It is obvious that any suitable series of the apparatus may be combined together, the evaporated steam in the first evaporator being utilized for evaporation in the second apparatus instead of further live steam from the boiler, and in such a case both chambers of the first and following apparatus may be utilized for evaporation, the final condensation only occurring in the last of the series, or the condensing-chamber of a single apparatus maybe used for secondary evaporation by the steam generated in the primary evaporator, and the ultimate and final condensation may be effected in or in a chamber connected to the main condenser of the engine.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an evaporating and condensing apparatus, the combination of an evaporator consisting of a closed vessel having transverse internal diaphragms or divisions between which tubes are arranged, so that their ends communicate to the upper and lower chambers formed by the said diaphragms, respectively, the chamber for the heating-steam being between the said diaphragms around the tubes, a side passage or passages communicating between the said upper and lower chambers to efitect the rapid circulation of liquid from the upper to the lower chamber, with a condenser for condensing the steam from the said evaporator, a feed-regulating valve for maintaining a constant level of liquid in the evaporator, a steam-pump operat ing by one cylinder through a cross-head, a pump to circulate the surface-water in the condenser, a fresh-water'pump for withdrawing the fresh water from the condenser, an aerating-pump for aerating the fresh water, a brine-pump for withdrawing the brine or other matter from the evaporator, and a feedpump for returning the water condensed in the evaporator to the boiler, substantially as described.

2. In an evaporating and condensing apparatus, an evaporator having a still-head provided with a circular baffle-plate suspended from the upper part thereof in such a manner as to form an annular space therein, a slot being provided in the said baffle-plate extending nearly the whole of the depth, forming communication between the interior and the annular space, also a small space being left between the bottom edge of the bafileplate and still-head neck for draining liquid from the annular space, and two further bafiieplates arranged one on each side of the said slot and lying around the annular space in an angular position from the top of the said space to nearly the bottom in a direction from said slot, an outlet for the steam being situated in the said annular space on the opposite side to the said slot, the interior orifice of this fle-plate as possible, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

L. R. CASEY, H. CECIL FATT.

. outlet being situated as near the central baf- 

